Man stabs wife to death at Bengaluru bus stand as her 13-year-old daughter watches

Bengaluru: A 35-year-old man fatally stabbed his wife multiple times in front of her teenage daughter at the Sunkadakatte bus stand in northwestern Bengaluru before fleeing, the police said. 

The horrific attack, which unfolded in full public view between 11.30 am and 11.40 am on Monday, left 32-year-old Rekha dead on the spot with multiple stab wounds to her chest and stomach. 

Police sources said that bystanders tried to stop her husband, Lohitashwa, but he brandished the knife at them and managed to flee. 

The police have launched a manhunt for Lohitashwa, a car driver. 

A senior police officer close to the investigation said the couple had recently married. Rekha, a call centre employee, was Lohitashwa's second wife and he her second husband. 

The officer added that marital discord appeared to be the motive but investigations were underway to uncover what triggered it. 

Lohitashwa, a native of Sira taluk in Tumakuru district, had met Rekha, hailing from Channarayapatna in Hassan district, through mutual friends. 

Both were divorcees and wanted to start life afresh. After a year and a half of courtship, they tied the knot about three months ago and rented a house at Kebbehalla near Sunkadakatte. They lived in the rented house with Rekha’s elder daughter, while her younger daughter stayed with grandparents. 

According to investigators, frequent quarrels had erupted soon after the marriage. They argued on Monday morning, too, before Rekha and her 13-year-old daughter left for the Sunkadakatte bus stand. 

Lohitashwa rushed there and picked another fight with Rekha. As the daughter tried to intervene, he pulled out a knife and stabbed Rekha, investigators said. 

"Rekha's daughter is an eyewitness," the officer told DH. 

A murder case has been registered at the Kamakshipalya police station.